Driving device for a machine for casting stereotype plates



eh. 18,1936. K; SCHAFLEIN Z L DRIVING DEVICE FOR A MACHINE FOR CASTING STEREOTYPE FLATES Filed June 15, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 18, K SCHA L E 2,@31,131

DRIVING DEVICE FOR A MACHINE FOR CASTING STEBEOTYPE PLATES Filed June 13, 1932 I5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 18, 1936. y SHAFLE|N 2,031,131

DRIVING DEVICE FOR A MACHINE FOR CASTING STEREOTYPE PLATES Filed June 13, 1952 5 Shets-Shet 3 jivvenror Patented Feb. 18, 1936 TAT DRIVING DEVICE FOR A MACHINE FOR CASTENG STEREOTYPE PLATES 6 Claims.

In driving mechanisms hereto-fore used in connection with machines for casting stereotype plates, and for casting the backing of electrotype printing plates, the movements of the mold, and of the means for controlling the flow of the metal into said mold, were derived from a main driving shaft by alternately coupling the auxiliary shafts, namely the shaft of the mold and the shaft for moving the metal controlling means with said driving shaft. This coupling of said auxiliary shafts was effected by a timing mechanism incorporated in the drive, the timing operations of which mechanism remained the same irrespective of the size of plates to be cast, so that the varying requirements which arose due to the difference in the size of the plates, could not be met. Therefore, in view of this condition, casting machines equipped with this type of timing mechanism were not capable of maximum production for all sizes of plates that came Within the range of such machines.

According to my invention this drawback is overcome by the use of fluid pressure which pref erably is controlled by a slow running member actuated in accordance with the required operating periods.

By this arrangement the operating periods are suitably varied for every size of plate, without changing the actual speed of the individual operations, such as the opening and closing of the metal controlling means or of the mold, which operations, as experience has shown, have a considerable influence on the quality of the casting, and also affect the facility of separating the matrix from the freshly cast plate.

A further object of the invention is to eliminate the use of any clutches and to control all of the operating periods by means of valves, thereby avoiding any interruptions in the operation of the casting machine due to defective operation or breakage of clutch members.

In the drawings several forms of the invention are illustrated, in all of which an oil pump is used to obtain the various motions,

Fig. 1 being a general layout of one arrangement in side elevation,

Fig. 2, the same arrangement in plan,

Fig. 3, an outline of the device for stopping the piston motion by keeping the valve open,

Fig. 4, a section through a pump cylinder and through one of the valves,

Fig. 5, the arrangement of one cylinder for moving the mold, and of a second cylinder for opening and closing the metal controlling means, and

Fig. 6, the arrangement of one pressure cylinder for moving both the mold and the metal con.- trolling means.

The motor I drives a three cylinder oil-pump 2, 3, 4 which draws the oil out of a tank 5 through Valves 6, 7, 8, and, when the suction valves are free, forces the oil through the pressure valves 9, l0, H, see Figures 3 and i, into the pressure pipes l2, l3, l4, l5. In each pressure pipe there is a valve l6, l'l, l8, l9 respectively, which valves are opened and closed in timed relation by earns 20, 2!, 22, 23 respectively. The cams are rigidly mounted on a shaft 24 which is slowly driven (about 3 revolutions per minute) from the pump shaft by means of a worm 25, worm-wheel 25, worm 21, and worm-Wheel 28. The pressure pipe l2 leads to the upper end of the cylinder 29, and the pressure pipe Hi to the lower end of the same cylinder. The pressure pipes i l and I5 lead to the opposite ends of the cylinder 33. From each cylinder-end an outlet pipe 3! leads back to the oil tank 5, and in each pipe there is a valve 32, 33, 34, 35 respectively which are opened and. closed by corresponding cams 35, i l, 38, 39. The cams 3639 are mounted on a shaft it which is driven by the shaft 24 through the bevel pinions 5t, 42.

On the shaft 24 there is a cam i3, which, after each revolution, which is the casting period for one plate, uncouples the clutch ea, in known manner, and thus stops the pump and timing shaft 24. The shaft 24 carries further a cam 35 (Figs. 1 and 3), which, during the time the freshly cast plate is cooling, keeps all the suction valves 6, l, 8 open, and thus renders the pumps inoperative, until the valves |6l9 are moved for the nu:- pose of closing the metal controlling means and opening the mold. Thereafter, the cam releases the suction valves, so that the pump pressure again moves the pistons in the cylinders 30.

In operating the machine the clutch 4 5 is put into action by a pedal or hand lever. By so domg, the pump and timing shaft 2d are started. The cam 2| (Fig. 1) opens the valve ll at once, so that the oil enters through the pipe l4 into the lower end of the cylinder 38, and forces the pump upwards. This piston drives the crank ll through the rods 46 (Fig. 5) which crank, by means of a second arm 48 and connecting rod 49, turns the crank 50 which, in known manner, P closes the mold, and presses it against the outlet opening of the pot. As soon as the mold is closed and pressed against the pot, the cam 22 opens the valve l 9, so that the oil enters through the pipe l3 into the lower end of the cylinder 29,

and raises the piston. By doing that, the metal controlling member is opened through the assistance of the connecting rod 52 and crank 53.

:At this moment the cam 45 raises all the suction valves 6, I, 8 through the rod 54 (Figure 3), so that no more oil is forced into the cylinders 29, 30. By adjusting the length of the raised portion of the cam 45, the cooling time for the cast plate can be regulated without altering the remaining parts of the mechanism. Depending on the further rotation of the shaft 24, the cam 23 will open the valve l9, and, at the same time, the cam 45 will release the suction valves, so that the oil enters through the pipe I 2 into the top end of the cylinder 29, and moves the piston downwards. Simultaneously the cam 39 opens the outlet valve 33 and allows the oil in the cyl- .inder, underneath the piston, to flow back through the pipe 3| into the tank 5. As soon as the metal controlling member 5| is closed, the cam 25 opens the valve l6, so that the pump forces the oil through the pipe l5 into the upper end of the cylinder 30, so that the mold is moved away from the pot and opened through the rods 46 to 50. When the valve I6 is being opened, the cam 38 opens the valve 35 and allows the oil in the cylinder 30, underneath the piston, to flow back into the tank 5 through the pipe 3|. The casting operation is then completed and the clutch 44 is automatically uncoupled by the cam 43 so that the pump and timing shaft are stopped.

In the construction according to Fig. 6 there is only one pressure cylinder 29, in which there is a piston which turns the toothed segment 69 through a connecting rod 68. From the toothed segment 69 the metal controlling member 5| is opened and closed through the connecting rod 10 and crank 53. The toothed segment 69 engages in a smaller spur-wheel 1|, from which, in known "manner, the mold is opened and closed, and

moved towards and away from the pot. Owing to the fact that the spur-wheel II has a smaller diameter than the toothed segment, the mold is acccelerated, so that it is closed before the metal control organ is opened. During the last part of the motion of the toothed segment the spur wheel II is stationary, and it can be secured against motion, in known manner, by a Geneva stop for example. When the piston returns, the metal controlling member 5| is first moved, then the toothed part of the segment again comes into engagement with the spur-wheel TI, and the mold is opened.

With this drive it is not only possible, as already mentioned above, to adjust the cam 45, so as to regulate the time for cooling the cast plate, but also by changing the worms 25, 21, and the worm-wheels 26, 28, the rotary speed of the timing shaft 24 can be adjusted, according to the size, withoutthe speed of motion of the mold and of the metal controlling means being altered.

In printing concerns, in which several casting machines are used, the pressure fluid (oil, water, gas) can be stored at a central point for all machines. The cams 43, 45 can then also be driven by the piston moved by the fluid under pressure. In some cases the pressure of the water main can be used as driving agent.

The timing shaft can also be driven by a separate clock-work or electric motor, not shown.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a machine for casting stereotype plates and the like, having a melting pot, a mold adapted to be moved into and out of cooperative relation with said pot and a valve in said pot for controlling the flow of metal into said mold, a driving mechanism comprising a cylinder, a piston in said cylinder, a low speed timing shaft having means associated therewith to control the flow of pressure fluid to said cylinder to thereby move said mold, and means dependent upon the operation of said piston to open and close said valve.

2. In a machine for casting stereotype plates and the like, having a melting pot, a mold adapted to be moved into and out of cooperative relation with said pot and a valve in said pot for controlling the flow of metal into said mold, a driving mechanism comprising a fluid pressure cylinder for moving said mold, a second fluid pressure cylinder for operating said valve, and a low speed timing shaft having means associated therewith to control the flow of pressure fluid to said cylinders.

3. In a machine for casting stereotype plates and the like, having a melting pot, a mold adapted to be moved into and out of cooperative relation with said pot and a valve in said pot for con trolling the flow of metal into said mold, a driving mechanism comprising a cylinder, a piston in said cylinder, a low speed timing shaft having means associated therewith to control the flow of pressure fluid to said cylinder to thereby move said mold, and means, including gear members, dependent upon the operation of said piston to open and close said valve.

4. In a machine for casting stereotype plates and the like, having a melting pot, a mold adapted to be moved into and out of cooperative relation with said pot and a valve in said pot for controlling the flow of metal into said mold, a driving mechanism comprising a cylinder, a piston in said cylinder, a time controlled timing shaft having means associated therewith to control the flow of pressure fluid to said cylinder to thereby move said mold, and means dependent upon the operation of said piston to open said valve for a period corresponding to a predetermined size of plate to be cast.

5. In a machine for casting stereotype plates and the like, having a melting pot, a mold adapted to be moved into and out of cooperative relation with said pot and a valve in said pot for controlling the flow of metal into said mold, a driving mechanism comprising a cylinder, a piston in said cylinder, a low speed timing shaft having means associated therewith to control the flow of pressure fluid to said cylinder to thereby move said mold, means dependent upon the operation of said piston to open and close said valve, and means for controlling the cooling period of a cast plate.

6. In a machine for casting stereotype plates and the like, having a melting pot, a mold adapted to be moved into and out of cooperative relation with said pot and a valve in said pot for controlling the flow of metal into said mold, a driving mechanism including fluid pressure means whereby said mold and said valve are actuated, timing means associated with said fluid pressure means for controlling the supply of fluid pressure thereto for the purpose of operating said mold and valve in timed relationship, a pressure fluid container, a pump, suction valves for controlling the supply of pressure fluid from said container, and means associated with said timing means for maintaining said suction valves open during the cooling period of a cast plate, to thereby render said pump inoperative.

KARL SCHAFLEIN. 

